Author: traleeculinarygangsters

Chef, food truck owner, Gardner, forager, blogger, author , columnists,

Sid on food intolerance

2016-10-11-11-46-10

COULD YOU HAVE A FOOD INTOLERANCE?

What is a food intolerance?

A food intolerance is quite simply an unpleasant reaction to a food. It is our body’s natural defence mechanism telling us that this particular food does not agree with us. The immune system, which protects us produces anti-bodies that deal with anything which invades the body. Sometimes these antibodies not only destroy the invader but also destroy some of the bodies tissues. This over sensitive immune system causes inflammation, discomfort and pain associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), eczema and arthritis amongst many other inflammatory conditions. Over time, if we continue to consume these offending foods on a regular basis the result is a lifetime of chronic inflammation. By correctly identifying and removing these problem foods, there is very often a significant improvement to health.

Allergy v Intolerance

Both of these terms are very often used in the same context, but it is important that you understand the difference between the two. Both are reactions to a food but it is the type of reaction that is important.

Food allergy

This reaction occurs almost immediately after consuming the offending food, usually within the first hour. The reaction is often very obvious and quite violent. Common symptoms are itchy skin, rash, swollen lips and tongue, vomiting and/or diarrhoea. In more severe cases, you may not even have to consume the food but just be in contact with it. Difficulty breathing can also be experienced in extreme cases. Immediate medical attention is required. Only about 2% of the Irish population actually suffer from a food allergy.

Food intolerance

This type of reaction affects a far greater number of us every day. A food intolerance can develop at any time of life whereas a food allergy most often develops in early childhood. The reaction rarely occurs immediately after consuming the food, in fact it can take up to 48hrs before any symptoms will be felt. Many chronic conditions may be associated with an intolerance to a particular food, here are just a few of the more common offenders and how they may affect you.

Dairy: Some of the reactions to dairy (particularly cow dairy) include digestive distress, asthma, skin conditions and sinus problems.

Wheat: This major offender may be linked to headaches, bloating, diarrhoea/constipation, fatigue and brain fog.

Gluten: If allergic to gluten, it causes coeliac disease. An intolerance to gluten may be linked to malabsorption of nutrients (leading to a whole host of illnesses), IBS, behavioural issues in children and depression.

 

By Richard Sheehan Nutritional Therapist Dip NT mIANT

web http://www.nourishbynature.ie

email nourishbynaturelistowel@gmail.com

mobile 087 3848818

kevin on capers

2016-10-18-22-21-10

Have you ever wondered what a caper is??

A caper is the bud of a bush that is called a Capparis Spinosa AKA a caper bush also known as flinders rose. The buds are then salted and after a certain amount of time gently washed and pickled with vinegar.

The best capers though are just sea salted. You can also get smaller capers which are generally more expensive but for other reason then they are harder to gather or forage.

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Pickled or sea salted capers go well with pretty much everything. Meat, fish or salads. They are also used to enhance the flavours of other dishes such as caponata which is a zesty aubergine dish (which origins are a mystery but believed to be connected to the caper) and one on my personal favourites pepperonata which is a vegetarian dish but can be served with so many different dishes.

The capers we get from the islands between Italy and Africa are the best because of climate and the islands that have volcanic minerals are the best of all. Here are some photos of where they come from and some photos of what you can do with them

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follow kevin on twitter @parsnip78

chocolate truffles tips

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Always Use good chocolate made with good ingredients

— all natural, cocoa butter, cocoa solids so no palm oil or vanillin

—check the label so you know what you are buying

Use the chocolate you like to eat, buy a few different brands and do your own taste-test to work out what you like best.

Keep your chocolate in a cool dry place- but not the fridge.

Store it at around 15 degrees.

Don’t work in a hot and humid environment, this can cause chocolate to ‘bloom’

Practice practice practice

Don’t be scared to experimentwith flavours and textures its fun

use 70% plus dark chocolate for best results

Sid on sugar

2016-10-11-11-46-10

Outwitting the Sugar Addiction

 

 

Sugar

Sugar is a major life force needed to fuel the brain and body. Sugars that are found in whole foods are balanced with the proper minerals. When these sugars break down and are assimilated, the energy produced is stable and long lasting.

 

When natural sugar is refined and concentrated the balance is dismembered. Refined sugar passes through the blood stream quickly in large amounts upsetting the stomach and pancreas. Overtime, prolonged use of refined sugar leads to an acid condition, consuming the body’s minerals, weakening the digestive system, and throwing the blood sugar out of balance. This quick, high energy producer is unfortunately addictive and contributes to obesity, hypoglycaemia, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, anaemia, immune deficiency, tooth decay, and loss of bone mass among many other conditions. In fact, sugar is so addictive that many clinical trials involving rats as test subjects, have shown that refined sugar is a more powerful addictive substance than cocaine.

Removing sugar from the diet is no easy task. It is everywhere!

If you try to go cold turkey, be prepared for some nasty withdrawal symptoms. Many experience headaches comparable to a migraine, exhaustion, mood swings and depression. But don’t let that put you off. Sugar withdrawal doesn’t have to be torture.

Before you go crazy trying to throw it out…use these tips and try some of the sugar alternatives offered here. Over time, you may actually prefer them, and your body will thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tips to Kick the Sugar Habit

 

 

Eat Regularly. Eat little and often. Many people have a drop in blood sugar levels when meals are too spaced out, leaving us feel hungry and more likely to crave sweet sugary snacks.

Choose Whole Foods. The closer a food is to its original form, the less processed sugar it will have.

Try To Incorporate Protein Into Each Meal. This helps to control blood sugar levels. Make sure they are healthy sources. Be sure to start the day with right with a good wholesome breakfast to limit sugar cravings throughout the day.

Get Enough Sleep. When over tired we often use sugar for energy to counteract the exhaustion.

Keep It Out Of Reach. Keep sugary snacks out of the house or place of work. It’s hard to give in to temptation if it’s not there in the first place.

Distract Yourself. Cravings are usually short-lived. If you can distract yourself with something else, it often passes. The more you do this, the easier it gets and the cravings get easier to deal with.

Give Yourself A Break. It is possible to satisfy that sweet tooth with something nutritious. Do avoid artificial sweeteners, which will do little to alter your desire for sweets and have a negative effect on the body. Have a piece of fruit or a square of dark chocolate which actually has many health benefits, in moderation of course!

 

 

Written by Richard Sheehan

Dip NT mIANT

 

Sid on diets

2016-10-11-11-46-10

WHY QUICK FIX DIETS DON’T WORK

At one stage or another in all of our lives we’ve tried a diet of some description, usually in a desperate bid to shape up for a holiday or upcoming event. If you’ve never found yourself in this dilemma, then you are truly blessed genetically!

While you may lose weight on a quick fix programme, chances are that you’ve put it back on just as quickly. Others will succumb to deprivation, boredom and misery within the first 7-10 days and feel like a failure, so they turn to their reliable friend ‘FOOD’ for comfort and so the vicious cycle continues.

Whether it’s the cabbage soup diet, the grapefruit and water diet or some other potion that guarantees rapid weight loss, the results are never long lasting.

The basic science is that the human body needs a variety of food groups to sustain healthy living. When you crash diet, generally you are consuming far fewer calories that normal. You would assume that this should automatically result in weight loss, but actually your body goes into starvation mode. When this happens your metabolism slows down. Your metabolism is your body’s engine, it determines how many calories you burn. That means that if your metabolism slows down, your body has to work much harder to burn the same amount of calories it would if it was functioning normally. For example, let’s say you normally burn 300 calories during a 30 minute session on a treadmill. If your metabolism has slowed down, you may only burn 200 calories for the exact same session. Now you have to work 3 times harder to get the same calorie expenditure to help you lose weight. That really sounds like too much hard work for no good reason.

Rather than obsessing with these quick fix diets, what you really need to do is adapt a longer lasting lifestyle change. Yes, it may take more time to achieve your goals but the results will be more permanent.

A few simple tips to get you on the right track

Do not deprive yourself too much, just have everything in moderation.

Eat at regular intervals and don’t allow yourself to get over hungry.

Keep a daily food diary for a week. It will give you a clear indication of exactly what you are consuming. Sometimes you may not realise just how much you’re eating.

Decrease your intake of alcohol.

Opt for higher fibre wholefoods and decrease the amount of processed foods.

Drink plenty of water in its pure form. Not in the form of dilute fruit squash.

Obviously exercise is a major factor in any weight loss programme. Dieting alone is not sufficient.

If you would like more information on this subject call for an appointment    PHONE 0873848818

By Richard Sheehan, Nutritional Therapist Dip NT M.I.A.N.T.

#cupcakehour souffle

2016-10-04-13-38-10

Read your souffle recipe. Then, read it again

 

Measure and weigh all the ingredients before you start cooking

 

Make sure all the equipment you are using is scrupliously clean and grease free

 

Ensure all your ingredients, especially the eggs, are at room temperature. Do not use cold eggs

 

Prepare and grease soufflé dishes, either large or individual ones, before you start making the soufflé mixture

 

Preheat the oven, so once the soufflé is made and in the dish it can go directly into the oven

 

Be warned. It is not an “Old Wives Tale” that opening the door while a soufflé is cooking can cause it to sink, it is true

 

Don’t start to cook unless you know you can serve it directly to the table. within no time, a souffle will slowly start to sink. If you want to show-off

 

Work quickly and calmly, and most of all have fun; there’s no greater joy than cooking for oneself, family or friends

Know what your eating

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE EATING?

The vast majority of health experts recommend eating a balanced, healthy diet to maintain or lose weight and to optimise your overall feeling of well-being. But exactly what is a healthy diet?

The basic components of a healthy diet include the right amount and balance of:

Protein – found in fish, meat, poultry, dairy products, eggs, nuts and beans.

Fat – found in animal and dairy products, nuts, seeds and oils

Carbohydrates – found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and other legumes.

Water- the most vital of all nutrients essential for life

So, you may say I’ve got all of those core food groups in my everyday diet but yet I feel unwell, constantly tired and unmotivated or I can’t seem to shift a few stubborn pounds. Well this is where food producing companies globally are managing to fool us through very clever marketing ploys. Let’s take a look at some of the more common foods which may not be as beneficial to our health as we are lead to believe.

Low Calorie Ready Meals

A calorie is simply a measurement, just like a teaspoon or an inch. Calories are the amount of energy released when your body breaks down food. The more calories a food has, the more energy it can provide to the body. It’s the source of the calories rather than the amount of calories that we should focus on. For example an apple contains more calories than a chocolate chip cookie but clearly we know which one is healthier. Many ready meals are marketed as low calorie but often contain high amounts of salt and even worse, artificial flavourings and preservatives. The most common of these is MSG (monosodium glutamate). This flavour enhancer is found in most ready meals, packet sauces and soups, crisps etc.  It is seen by many experts as a major health concern because it contains a toxin which over excites the cells in the body. This is thought to be associated with digestive distress, behaviour problems, weight gain and a long list of other symptoms.

No Added Sugar Soft Drinks

Every day we see this food labelling marketed as being healthy because the bottle of fizzy drink or dilute squash contains no sugar, therefore lower in calories. But do we stop to think what makes it so sweet instead? No. We continue to allow our children to consume vast amounts of this sweet poison. One of the most controversial artificial sweeteners is called Aspartame. It is found in virtually every ‘no added sugar’ soft drink, but often disguised under a more attractive name. It contains chemicals directly linked to weight gain, depression, neurological disorders, anxiety, heart palpitations and many more.

A good habit for all of us to get into is to start taking note of the ingredients list on food and drink labelling. Generally if you can’t pronounce it you’re better off without it.

 

Richard Sheehan, Nutritional Therapist

Dip. NT mIANT